Kiss Goodbye to MS - Wear Red Lipstick

I saw an ad on TV for Kiss Goodbye to MS.  I thought it was a fantastic and creative campaign by MS Australia this year so I thought I'd share it. 


Here's some information about Multiple Sclerosis taken from the Kiss Goodbye to MS website.

"MS is the most common neurological disease affecting young Australian adults. As yet there is no cure. Over 23,000 Australians have MS and most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 to 40. MS affects three times as many women as men.

MS is the result of damage to myelin – a protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres of the central nervous system. When myelin is damaged this interferes with messages between the brain and other parts of the body.

The symptoms of MS are different for each person. Sometimes they even vary within the same person. For some people, MS is characterised by periods of relapse and remission while for others it has a progressive pattern. For everyone it makes life unpredictable."

To show your support for Kiss Goodbye to MS wear red lipstick on 29th May, World MS Day and throughout 2013.  Don't forget to get sponsored or donate to a great cause.

For more information, go to kissgoodbyetoMS.org/

Another Year Older

Yesterday was my 23rd birthday! I don't really feel any different, aside from not being able to sing Taylor Swift's "22" anymore lol.

My friends surprised me at uni with a cake the day before my birthday. Lucky I went to the bathroom so they could set up lol. You can see the yummy cake above and my "oh-so-glamorous" uni look.

Then on my birthday, my best friend, who is currently staying far away in woop woop on placement, drove 4 hours to see me and took me out to dinner. We ate at a tapas restaurant/bar in Yarraville. We over-ordered (as usual) and were stuffed by the end of it.

Anyway, hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Moisturiser Intervention

I'm sure everyone has this issue. Using something, having that itch to buy something new, buying a new item and abandoning the other. I've been having this issue with my moisturisers (amongst other things, but let's just ignore that lol).

Since I keep buying and using new ones, I've ended up accumulating a few that have a little bit of product left in them, but I've just never gotten around to finishing them. My skin type has changed a bit lately so I really want to try some new stuff, but I'm forcing myself to use these up before opening any new ones that I've already bought or going and buying some more. I figured posting this would make it more official and hence make me keep my word.

Here's the line-up:

• Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture for Combination Skin
• Murad Skin Perfecting Lotion
• Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clearing Moisturizer (sample)
• Avene Rich Compensating Cream
• Olay Moisturizing Cream for Sensitive Skin
• Olay Eye Gel

I'll probably write a short review for each as I finish them.

Holiday to Vietnam & Hong Kong: Part 2

So here is Part 2 of my holiday earlier this year.  Enjoy.

Hong Kong

This was my first time to Hong Kong.  I didn't really know what to expect.  All I knew was that the shopping was apparently amazing (which I can now confirm is true).  On arrival, I was just stunned by how big, modern, clean and efficient the airport was.  So first impressions were a massive tick haha.  Prior to this, I had only been to two other countries in Asia: Vietnam and Cambodia.  Hong Kong was completely different.


We didn't join a tour group and just wandered around ourselves.  We did a lot of the typical tourist things such as riding the Peak Tram, visiting the Madame Tussauds museum, going to the Ladies' and Men's Markets and checking out the spectacular Hong Kong sky line from the Sky Terrace 428.


Now of course I did some shopping. We didn't have that much time though. There were shops and shopping centres everywhere!

Here's a photo of me in Times Square.  Hong Kong definitely lives by night.


We also took a day trip over to Macau a.k.a gambling central lol.  None of us gamble, we just visited a couple of the casinos to see what all the fuss was about.  We visited The Venetian (bottom 3 photos) and Galaxy Casino (top 2 photos).  Hands down, they were way prettier than the casino in Melbourne.


I absolutely loved Hong Kong. Definitely want to go back for a longer holiday and also reserve a lot more time for shopping.

Holiday to Vietnam & Hong Kong: Part 1

From 18th February to 2nd March my parents and I squished in a quick overseas trip to Vietnam and Hong Kong.  Unfortunately my sister couldn't come because she had to work.  We couldn't have a longer holiday because the only free time we had together was a slot between me finishing an internship and uni starting up again.  It was pretty hectic trying to do as much as we could in the time, but worth it.  Anyway, I finally went through all the photos, so here's a snapshot of my trip!

Vietnam

I have been to Vietnam before, but only the south. This time we went to the north and went on a tour.


Hanoi has a lot of historic sights so it was pretty cool to finally see some of the places I learnt about at Vietnamese school when I was little.


My absolute favorite part of the Vietnam trip was the last couple of days of the tour. The second last day we went to Trang An in Ninh Binh, where we went on a 2-3 hour boat ride in these little boats rowed by Vietnamese women. The scenery was just spectacular, looked like a scene out of a movie. It was so incredibly relaxing and just felt surreal. We went by mountains and through some low hanging caves. It was absolutely beautiful, the photos do not do it justice.



On the final day of the tour we went to the famous Ha Long Bay which is now a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site. We got on a ferry that took us around the bay then got off to explore the caves. Talk about wow factor, it was amazing! The caves were lit with coloured lights which made it look stunning. You can get a bit of an idea of just how huge they were by comparing the size of the people in the bottom-left of the photo. 


I'll be uploading photos from the Hong Kong part of the trip next!

Illamasqua Australia Fight for a Fair Beauty Price

I'm pretty late on the bandwagon for this campaign. I believe it started about 8 months ago. So for those of you who haven't heard about it, Illamasqua is basically campaigning against the ridiculously high prices that us Aussies have to pay for beauty products in comparison to other countries. They have started a petition to put pressure on other cosmetic giants to lower their prices have also slashed the prices of their own products in Australia permanently.  (Click here to learn more and to sign the petition.)

Personally I think that this is a fantastic campaign. I completely agree that Aussies are paying far too much relative to the rest of the world. Plus it seems even more ridiculous at the moment when the Australian Dollar is performing so well and is worth more than the USD (conversion rate 9 April 2013: USD$1.00=AUD$1.04). Here's what I mean:

Prices as at 3 April 2013

Product	US Price	Aus Price
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick	USD$7.99	AUD$21.95
Revlon Colorstay Makeup (Foundation)	USD$13.00	AUD$34.95
MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation	USD$27.00	AUD$49.00
Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit	USD$33.00	AUD$60.00

Some have called this campaign a marketing stunt and if they truly believed in the cause, they would just reduce their prices without all this attention-seeking publicity. Well, why not make some noise about it? Bring it to the attention of the public and unite those with the same belief. And most importantly, they slashed their prices! I don't know about you, but I sure as hell would want to know about that.

Others have also called this a scam because there is a line in the petition that says "If...the petition is successful I promise to continue to buy Illamasqua products in Australia." i.e. By signing, you have signed away your soul and now must buy their stuff. Come on, I highly doubt that Illamasqua is going to send a little Cosmetics Policeman over to Australia to ensure you keep this promise. If you want to buy some Illamasqua products at a reduced price, go for it. If you don't, then don't buy anything. You can still sign the petition and support the cause without the weight of the law coming down on you. Chill.

Bottom line, Illamasqua is still a business, marketing = sales, cheap prices = sales.

I strongly support the cause and now I can try some of their products (which I've been wanting to do) at reasonable prices. I ain't complaining.

NEW Hair, NEW Age, NEW Job

Over the past month, quite a few things have happened. Felt like a rather significant time for me (as lame as that sounds lol) since I'm the kind of person who likes consistency and stability.

Firstly, it was my birthday on the 10th of May.  I turned 22.  The novelty of being 21 was over and I guess you could say I'm comfortably in my 'early twenties' now lol.  Feeling a little wiser haha.


I got a hair cut!  If you've been reading my blog for a while, a few months ago, I cut my long hair off and got a basic shorter style, well that had grown out a fair bit and it was in its in-between-meh-nothingness stage.  I don't feel comfortable spending heaps on a hair cut, so I bought one of those discount vouchers off OurDeal for a cut at Salon Te Pura in Ascot Vale which also included wash, treatment and blow wave. 

My hairdresser was George and I found out he was the manager of the salon.  I pretty much always go into a hair salon with photos of what I want but for some reason I didn't this time.  I told George that I wanted my hair shorter and just touch my shoulders and a side fringe. He suggested I get a more 'solid' style (as opposed to my layers) and have the back shorter and have it subtly and gradually get longer in the front.  I was definitely a bit concerned with the idea as it's different to any other style I've had in the past but he convinced me it would be a lot more flattering.  He was right lol.  It's a bit edgier and fuller with more volume.  I love love love the cut!  It really does flatter my face much more than what I had before.  So I was over the moon about most of my hair but what I didn't like was how he cut my fringe and particularly how he styled it.  I was put off by the fringe so much that I had to pin it back for the rest of the day (since I got the haircut in the morning) and I never pin my fringe back.  I really don't know what he was thinking there...but the day after I fixed and re-styled my fringe and it was fine.  Here are a couple of pics a couple days after the cut. 

Note to self: need to learn how to blow dry my hair as good as a pro lol.  Couldn't even get close to the volume and shape he achieved on me.


Lastly, retail and Diva have been a huge part of my life.  It was my first job ever and I'd been there for 3 years.  Resigning was a tough decision for me but I did and started working at Nine West late April.  It definitely felt like a shock at first and quite frustrating, since I was going from being a veteran who knew how every little thing worked, to a total newbie.  I'm settling in well now and getting used to it all.  (I'll definitely be doing a post of all the Diva goodies I bought before leaving, there's a lot lol.)


Anyway, just hit midnight.  Need to catch up on sleep! Studying for exams is a bitch... Goodnight!

Christmas pressies

I received some lovely Christmas presents from my sister this year (as always).

• Rose gold studs by Von Treskow. I have been obsessed and always on the lookout for rose gold anything ever since I got my Fossil rose gold watch. I absolutely love these. They are basic ball studs and they are a good larger size so they make a bit of a statement.
• OPI Designer...De Better! from the Muppets Collection. This colour is so gorgeous! I love foiled-finish polishes and love gold tones. No doubt, a winner in my book.
• French Pink voucher for a Mademoiselle exprés manicure and a French Pink Essential pedicure. I have never had a professional manicure or pedicure in my life so I'm a bit anxious but very excited. Now just have to find the right time and occassion to use the voucher.
• Satin robe. Yes, that luxurious, satin, red with small white dot pattern background is in fact a robe lol. It looks and feels so amazing and luxurious on my skin. When I sit down to do my hair and makeup for special occassions, I always throw on an old button-up shirt I have, so it's easy to change out of without ruining all your hard work. So this is definitely an upgrade haha. Can't help but feel rich and sexy in this!

Thank you sister! =P

Enjoy your weekend!

My Mecca Maxima Makeover!!

Hey guys!! This is going to be a MASSIVE post, so brace yourselves!

I had this AWESOME experience 2 weeks ago. Mecca Maxima in Melbourne Central is holding a series of free events on a number of dates where basically you can rock up and learn some tips and tricks and receive some free samples.

So the day I went, they had the "Show Stoppers" event where you would get a mini session with a makeup artist who'd show you some tips and ideas when getting ready for a party. I thought I may as well just drop by after uni and see what I learn. A makeup artist named Amy took care of me, she was SO sweet, helpful and honest. Not only did she give me some tips but she gave me a full face makeover!! Everything from skincare to makeup. I was SO excited because I have never gotten my makeup professionally done and I was able to pick the brain of a really experienced makeup artist. She did a really god job with my makeup, the way she did things was different to how I usually do my makeup which was great as a learnt new ideas and some things that I thought I wouldn't be able to pull off actually worked and looked good.

I thought I'd share some photos of the makeover. Excuse the average hair and all that, I rocked up to Mecca after uni and it was a pretty warm day, so by the time I got home to take the photos, my face was getting oily and hair getting messy. I tried to capature the makeup as best I can in the photos, but it was a bit difficult. I will also go through all the products Amy used, how she used them and if I like them.





SKINCARE 

After removing my makeup, she gave me a skin peel using Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare - Alpha Beta Daily Skin Peel. I was really nervous because I had never gotten a skin peel before and frankly "skin peel" sounds scary lol. But I had nothing to worry about at all. There are 2 steps to this product. You wipe the first cotton pad, which is already soaked in a solution, all over your face. So this is basically the chemical exfoliator. Then you go in with the second step, do the same thing but this time the cotton pad is soaked in a neutralising solution which stops the first solution from working and lets your skin go back to normal. I LOVE THIS STUFF! It made my skin feel so soft and smooth and it looked so radiant. Flakeyness was removed and some pores were cleared. It is absolutely amazing. Makeup looked so much better on my skin after using this. However the product is rather pricey, $130 for 30 uses, which includes both steps. But I did manage to find it on Strawberrynet for about $77. I have never forked that much for skincare...but I may have to in the future because I can't stop thinking about this product lol.

Next Amy moisturised my skin using Murad - Skin Perfecting Lotion ($50). She told me it was a moisturiser but also had some treatment qualities. It would help balance out my skin since I have very oily skin and also improve the texture and general look of my skin. This lotion is actually quite thick which I was concerned about due to my oily skin. It feels a bit much when you first put it on, but if you let it settle a little, it feels light and really moisturising and my skin felt healthy. I ended up purchasing this (that is the most I have ever spent on skincare), I've been using it more as a night treatment as opposed to a daily moisturiser. Still love the light but super moisturising feeling. As for the treatment side, I haven't noticed any changes to my skin but I haven't been using it that long. So at this stage, I like the product but I'm not to sure that it's worth the $50. 

FACE

Amy decided that her aim was to focus on my skin and make it look amazing since it seemed to be my primary concern. So after prepping it with those awesome skin care products, she spent a lot of time working on face makeup. 

Primer : Smashbox - Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light
I already owned this product. Still love it, makes your skin looks smoother and keeps your foundation matte and fresh for longer. But she used much more product than what I would usually use. She stressed the importance of using enough since it's the barrier protecting your skin. 

Highlighter : Nars - Multiple - Luxor
She applied this on my cheek bones and up to my temples before applying foundation which I thought was interesting. I had heard of people doing this, but I always thought what's the point since your foundation is just going to cover it all up. To my surprise the glow came through, it was a nice and subtle inner glow. You can see it in the close-up picture.

Foundation : Nars - Sheer Glow Foundation - Punjab
I was definately apprehensive about her using this foundation. I knew that many people love this foundation. But if there is anything I avoid when buying liquid foundation is "glow." Glowy/dewy foundations just get oily too quickly on me. I was very impressed at the way the foundation could be built up. She showed me how it looked with s sheer application and then she built it up. The general appearance of the foundation was also very natural, it looked like real skin. Definitely purchasing this in the future. 

Concealer : Nars - Conealer - Ginger
A full coverage concealer in stick form. Not really much to say about it lol She used it just like any other concealer and I thought it did a good job covering these 2 HUMUNGOUS zits I had on my face. 

Setting Powder : I don't remember

Bronzer : Stila - Sun Shade SPF 15 - Shade 2
I don't use bronzer much. When I do, I've been using more cool/neutral toned bronzers for contouring and I don't usually use it for all over. This product is more bronzey...kinda more orangey toned...but NOT in a horrible fake way. It added a nice glowy and alive look. She dusted it all over my face. I think she may have added a bit too much for my liking. I will definitely look into getting a bronzer with more of this tone.
 
Blush : Nars - Blush - Desire
I requested to use this blush since it's on my wishlist and I just wanted to confirm whether I wanted it or not lol. Still love it, still REALLY want it. She did a really light dusting to show me its versatility. She also pointed out that another makeup artist was wearing it, she had a totally different complexion to me and it looked totally different on her but still amazing. 

EYES

I was pretty happy with the eye makeup. Many makeup artists tend to struggle on Asian eyes or just make us look all kinds of weird lol. Amy did a great job. Unfortunately I had a hard time capturing it in the photos. 

Primer : Too Faced - Shadow Insurance
A classic product. I already owned this. Makes your shadow appear more vibrant and fresh for longer. Reduces creasing. 

Eyeshadows : 
Stila - Baked Eye Shadow Trio - Gold Glow
She used the gold from this trio on the inner half of the lid and the brown on the outter half. Very pigmented and metallicy.   
Nars - Eyeshadow - Fez 
A medium-deep shimmery brown shade with I think a red undertone. She used this to deepen up the outter corner a bit.
Nars - Soft Touch Shadow Pencil - Aigle Noir
This was applied along my bottom lashline and smudged out to look really smokey and sultry. This black pencil actually had some gold in it which was really pretty. When I normally apply eyeshadow under my eyes and smudge it out, I keep it very close to the lash line. I always thought that smudging it too far down would make me look tired. So it surprised me when it didn't lol. I thought it looked really sexy and sultry. Definitely going to experiment with this more myself.

Eyeliner : Bobbi Brown - Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner - Violet Ink
I loved this! I am pretty conventional when it comes to eyeliners, I pretty much only use black and brown. But this purple looked wow. I'm so annoyed the camera didn't pick it up. She used it along my upper lid and also on my bottom waterline. I used to like applying eyeliner to my waterline. But for some reason stopped. So I hadn't done that in a while. When she applied some of this to my waterline, it brought back memories lol. Again I was surprised that the purple looked SO good! and lining my waterline added drama n definition as well as adding to the sexy sultry eye look.

LIPS

Stila - Lip Glaze - Amaretto
I'm more of a lipstick girl than a gloss girl. And definitely more into pinks than nudes. Amy decided to go with a nude lip, just to do something that I normally wouldn't do. I actually really liked the look. The lip glaze was pretty pigmented, shimmer free which I like, pretty long lasting and super moisturising. I really liked the colour. It allowed my natural lip colour to peak through a bit which I thought was really nice.



I think that was everything lol. I was really happy with the look. The highlight product for me was the Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare - Alpha Beta Daily Skin Peel, love it, will have to save some money and build the confidence to spend that much money on a skin care product lol. I felt that Amy definitely achieved her goal of making my skin the stand out feature. My skin isn't the best in the world but she made it look and feel the best I've ever seen it. Hope you aren't too bored after reading that massive post.

21st Birthday Presents!

Had my last exam for the semester yesterday..FINALLY! This must have been the longest spanning exam period I've ever had.

Anyway...Just want to share what I got for my 21st. It's not everyday you get a bunch of amazing, expensive, awesome presents! All you Aussies out there would know that branded items cost so freakin much over here. So if you thought branded stuff was pricey where you're from...you clearly haven't been to Australia =P

First off I got this HUGE beautiful bouquet/flower arrangement of 21 red roses from my aunt. It doesn't look that big in the photo but omg it was a bitch getting in the car haha. You can see how high the green stalk thingies go.


I got a pair of Ray Ban aviators from my boyfriend. He has a black pair which he wears alllll the time, it's pretty much his trademark. So now I can match him haha. I believe the model is RB3025 001/51. They have gold frames and brown gradient/faded lenses. They look so sexy! Before these I never owned a good quality pair of sunnies. So, super excited about these! Can't wait for summer to show them off.


Next, my friends from uni bought me this Fossil watch (model:ES 2859). I'd been really wanting a watch and I was in love with the rose gold watch trend. I've been wearing this everyday since I got it! The official online photo of it, in my opinion, looks nothing like it. It is so much prettier in person. They also got me Gucci Guilty EDT. It smells so good! I'll probably do a review on this further down the track. The perfume, watch and sunnies look so cute on my dresser together lol Cute matching golden trio.



One of the presents I got from another aunt and her family was Dior J'adore EDP. I feel very fancy owning this haha. I smelt it in store the other day, it smells quite different to the scents I usually lean to, but I still like it, it's more of a spring/summer scent I think. I might wait til spring before I open it since I've got a couple of wintery scents I'm loving at the moment.
I got this Tiffany & Co necklace from my highschool friends (Pendant: Tiffany Locks Emblem Lock Pendant; Chain: Oval Link Chain 30inch). I think this lock is so cute. It's not your traditional Tiffany pendant nor is it your usual shaped lock. The chain is very unique too. It's a staple in my jewellery collection now.



From my best friend, I got a Tiffany & Co bracelet (Return to Tiffany Bead Bracelet). This is so pretty! It's delicate and dressy looking but at the same time I can layer it for more casual wear. I had seen this bracelet before and didn't think much of it. It just looked so simple. But it is just so gorgeous on. It also really suits my super skinny wrists lol. Love love.

I also got quite a few monetary gifts too...but no need to show those haha.

Anyway, I'm off to a good long sleep. Goodnight!

My 21st Birthday Bash

Hey guys!

The last month has been so crazy. I was stressing and freaking out so much about my 21st birthday party. I was basically the 21st version of bridezilla haha.

My birthday was actually on the 10th May but I had the party on the 14th and it was awesome! It was held at Coopers Inn (corner of Exhibition St and Little Lonsdale St) in one of the upstairs function rooms. There were about 40 guests. My favourite colour is pink so I made the dress code basically light pink, any light nude colours plus black and white, so I could stand out in my fuchsia dress =P The night started with finger food, followed by dinner, speeches, cake and of course a little dancing lol. It was an amazing night, everyone looked great, the venue was pretty, the food was yummy and filling and it was just amazing to be surrounded by all the people I care about most. I'm actually still suffering from 21st withdrawal...boo...lol

Anyway I thought I would share some photos from the night with you guys.


Mmm...black forest cake

I didn't really decorate the room much but I did decorate the tables. Each guest had a little name card. I scattered chunky silver glitter on each table as well as pale pink petals. I also placed an origami flower on each plate as well, but I don't have a photo of those. The petals and flowers took me forever to make...the days leading up to the party, I was making them while eating dinner, in bed, on the train...lol


My amazing boyfriend. His speech was so funny and romantic.



Thank you speech

Now that that's all done. For the next couple of weeks I'm going to be SUPER busy. I'm less than 1 week away from exams =S eep... So if I disappear off the face of the earth, you'll know why.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!
Hope you are all having an amazing day with your family and friends and received many many pressies lol.

I'm having a very lazy Christmas as usual. I had a bit of a sleep in, then opened all my presents with my family and I've been watching movies and eating all day. I'll probably go to bed early tonight to prepare myself for Boxing Day shopping!! and I'm also working, so it's going to be a killer day tomorrow.

Anyway thought I would share my Christmas pressies I received today.

I got Kylie Minogue - Couture eau de toilette from my aunty.


My sister gave me a Conair light-up makeup mirror. I've been wanting a makeup mirror for ages!


She also got me this train case from Inglot, with a bunch of goodies inside.



+ Inglot black eyelash curler
+ Inglot travel brush kit
+ Inglot Long and Curly Mascara
+ Inglot Milk and Tonic Make-up Remover Wipes
+ Inglot Eyeshadow Palette with 6 shadows


Enjoy the rest of Christmas everyone!